StyleWeek part 2 (deux)

This from Courtney:
The second night of StyleWeek Providence brought another crop of amazing fashion to the runway at the Biltmore. I’m consistently amazed by the caliber of talent we have right in our little state. Amateur hour this certainly is not, a fact perhaps even more shocking considering that the first designer of the evening, Kara Wickman, was debuting her first ever collection. Based on the name of her collection, “Oui,” her influence was obvious. But creating a cohesive grouping of outfits that conveys that theme without being cheesy is something even seasoned designers struggle with. Wickman achieved as much with ease. Her looks had a real “wow” factor to them (they elicited more than one from the audience members around me, myself included), but were also strikingly wearable. I think any one of the women in attendance would be thrilled to rock one of her looks (the final look, a taupey sateen gown with ruffled halter and appliqué flower at the hip, perhaps?). Given the chance, I’d wear it just like the model, with elbow length gloves, sky-high bouffant, and crimson lips – my own personal French fashion moment.
Up next was Maria Del Carmen Mercado. Her influence was a little harder to suss out, which makes sense upon reading her designer statement, where she reveals that her collection, “Season’s Bliss,” is supposed to “demonstrate the changes of our surroundings throughout the year.” Like Wickman’s collection, Mercado’s was extremely wearable, except when it wasn’t: peekaboo butt isn’t a good look for most, even models. Braided belts and one-shoulder looks dominated her designs, and all were relatively simple, avoiding patterned fabrics and complex silhouettes for the most part.  Still, it was a fun and interesting collection, one that definitely hit the very high bar that StyleWeek seems to be setting for the Rhode Island design scene.